The Sparta Sands Aquifer, which provides drinking water for 19 parishes in north Louisiana, is drying up. Sparta could soon be saltwater unless pressure on the aquifer is eased. But House Bill 388, pushed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, downgrades Sparta's status from "critical" to "an area of groundwater concern" so as not to scare off business and "economic development." The bill has passed the House and appears headed for quick passage by the Senate. The Monroe News-Star has recently published a good article and an op-ed on the problem. Click on this link: